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Stewart Francke Achieves Acclaim in
Europe and Returns to Perform in Saginaw at White's Bar on July 23rd
By Robert E. Martin
As a chronicler of his own personal terrain, coupled with the physical and emotional geography of the Saginaw Valley, Detroit based singer/songwriter and Saginaw's favorite 'prodigal son' Stewart Francke will be returning to our area with his 11-piece band The Regular Boys for an outdoor Tent Party at White's Bar on Saturday, July 23rd.
Francke recently released a 'greatest
hits' type collection in Europe entitled Motor City Serenade, on
the English R&B label Zane that has received impressive reviews
in the foreign press and is selling well in England. The CD is also
available in the United States as an import.
"The album consists of most of the
soulful things I've done in style as well as substance probably,"
remarks Francke. "The British still have a deep love of Motown & Stax,
so sales over there have been good. But I'm definitely looking forward
to performing again back in my hometown."
The centerpiece of Stewart's new 13-track
release is the title song, a love letter to the hardworking,
music-loving city that Francke treasures. With a litany of Detroit
references from Strohs, Mitch Ryder, and Soupy Sales, Motor City Serenade is built upon the classic Motown type
arrangement that featured a strong bass line and string arrangements,
which isn't surprising considering it also features Motown's fabled
backing band, The Funk Brothers, performing on the track.
By assembling his strongest work into one
packaged collection, one truly gets to trace the arc of Francke's
musical orientation, as the earlier material is structured in more of a
pop-folk vein, while the later material is grounded heavily in giving
fresh translation to the idioms of Soul and R&B - a trend that began
with 2001's stunning What We Talk OfŠ. When We Talk'. The
timbre of his voice takes on a more raspier incisive quality and his
addition of string & horn charts also coincides during this period with
Stewart's life-threatening bout with cancer, leaving one with the sense
that his ordeal not only imparted a new wisdom upon the songwriter, but
more importantly, infused him with a new exuberance that is thankful and
celebratory for every breath we take.
As the UK Independent Review
recently wrote about Motor City Serenade, "Stewart Francke is a
blue-eyed soul boy who has steeped himself so thoroughly in the details
of his chosen obsession - in his case, the classic soul sound of his
hometown Detroit - that his best work could almost pass as authentic.
There's a generosity of spirit and articulate social conscience in
operation that sit as well on his shoulders, as they did on those
Marvin, Curtis and Stevie, particularly on the protest-soul numbers such
as 'American Twilight' and the three-part suite that concludes the
album, starting with 'From Where Shall Comfort Come'.
And as the London Times puts it: "This singer-songwriter from Detroit stands out from
the crowd because of his soul-hardened voice and collection of
thoughtful, user-friendly songs. Francke has a cutting edge that has
already made his name in his native Michigan. With luck, he could do the
same over here."
Be sure to mark July 23rd
on your calendar and catch a rare local performance from one of
Saginaw's true musical treasures.
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